First, let's start with what it is and why you MUST know about it.
This is the brain's bias to focus on negative events harnessed by our ancient's brain's desire to stay safe by rehearsing difficult or dangerous moments in life. It makes total sense when you think of life from the cave dweller's perspective where rehearsing the location of the saber tooth tiger will save your life and the life of your tribe.
However, what we typically do is rehearse mundane insults. We can come up with all sorts of evil intent and reasons to be on guard or on attack - many times, when there is no actual evil intent directed toward us at all!
But you know what I'm talking about. We all get stuck in these negative loops. Justifying anger, frustration and a belief that the situation, people, the past or the future are against us.
Rick Hanson, author of "Hard-wiring Happiness" writes in his blog, "...the brain is like Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones. That’s why researchers have found that animals, including humans, generally learn faster from pain (alas) than pleasure."
Well, that means negativity will have a big voice in everything we do leaving us with an impression that is not even close to the truth at times.
Adapted from daringtolivefully.com/overcoming-negativity-bias
Things to keep in mind about the negativity bias - or reasons why you need to stop blaming yourself for this.
• We remember insults more than we remember praise. • Negative experiences tend to be more memorable than positive ones. • The brain has a tendency to be vigilant and wary. • For positive experiences to resonate, they have to occur much more frequently than negative ones. • The brain reacts more strongly to negative stimuli than to positive stimuli. Studies show that there’s a greater surge in electrical activity in the brain when we see a picture of something negative—like a dead cat—than we see a picture of something positive—like a great meal. • If something good and something bad happen to you on the same day, you’ll react more strongly to the bad than to the good (even if both events are otherwise comparable). • When your mind wanders, it’s more likely to recall something that made you angry or upset, instead of recalling something that made you happy and filled you with pride.
Here is a trick to redirecting this Negativity Bias ... but you have to practice in order to make it really work well.
REDIRECTING NEGATIVITY CHALLENGE!
1. Notice the next time you are stuck or trapped in a loop of negativity - don't blame/self-shame or tense up around it. Start first with noticing and recognizing exactly what you feel. Name the emotion.
2. Using the Emotion as an anchor - feel it deeply within the inside of yourself and with a great deal of compassion toward yourself, acknowledge that this deep feeling (whatever it is, fear, loneliness, sadness, etc) is a profound wound that has caused you suffering in life.
3. Ask yourself, where did this feeling come from, how old is it, when was the first time I felt this profound feeling.
4. When you get a sense of this, imagine yourself as a younger person. Place your hand on your heart and simply offer yourself loving kindness in the witnessing of this place of emotional pain. Nothing more is required.
5. This is an interruption of negativity as you are now nourishing yourself with deep loving kindness toward yourself - which is a pretty powerful remedy and opens up the possibility of a new response to momentary negative or fearful feelings.
Give it a try. Season 4 Episode 11 |
